Dear people who are in charge of hiring processes (there will be some of you in this audience, I'm sure): External recruiters are generally expensive and bad.

Dear people who are in charge of hiring processes (there will be some of you in this audience, I'm sure): External recruiters are generally expensive and bad. By using them, you reduce the quality of your reputation. They charge 25% or more of the first year salary per placement. If you are big enough to afford it -- that is, you're making more than four hires a year -- use an actual employee as your recruiter. Make sure that they are familiar with your company's actual culture and business practices, and can speak authoritatively about HR policies. Pay them a regular salary and benefits, so that they have no incentive to lie. Pay bonuses based on the performance of the employees they hire after those employees have been working for you for a year, so that they have an incentive to get high-quality people in. The recruiter is the first face of your company. That experience should be considerate, consistent, responsive, and above all positive. An unsuccessful candidate should leave the experience thinking that your company would still be a pretty good place to work in the future, and maybe they should recommend a friend who would be a better fit.